The Sandman is a graphic novel series written by Neil Gaiman that was recently made into a full-cast Audible Original adaptation. The original series ran for 75 issues, from January 1989 to March 1996, and won acclaim from readers and critics alike. The Sandman is one of the few graphic novels to ever make it onto the New York Times best seller list, and the comic books and their spinoffs have won more than 36 Eisner Awards, multiple Hugo Awards, a Bram Stoker Award, a World Fantasy Award, and countless other accolades.
In 2020, Audible produced the first installment of the full-cast audio adaptation of the Sandman series, directed by Dirk Maggs and starring James McAvoy as Morpheus, with author Neil Gaiman narrating. Audible’s The Sandman also features the talents of Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, Michael Sheen, and more.
The first Sandman installment adapts Volumes 1-3 of the graphic novels (Preludes & Nocturnes, The Doll’s House, and Dream Country). If you’re looking to get caught up on everything in the Sandman universe before the next chapter of the audio epic drops, read on.
Who is the Sandman?
"The Sandman" is known by many names. His true moniker is Dream, but in the Sandman series, he's most often referred to as Morpheus. Some other names for Morpheus/Dream/The Sandman include Oneiros, Kai'ckul, Lord L'Zoril, Murphy, King of Dreams, Prince of Stories, Lord Shaper, and King of All Night's Dreaming.
Morpheus is one of the seven Endless: beings older than gods who personify powerful natural forces. As the embodiment of dreams, Morpheus rules the realm of dreams, nightmares, and imagination. He also has the power to warp reality and create illusions. As he has access to people's dreams, Morpheus also knows every story ever told or imagined. He can open portals to other dimensions and travel into dreams or even supernatural realms such as Hell. Additionally, he has the power of healing. Oh, and it probably goes without saying, he's immortal.
Morpheus's appearance can change, depending on who is looking upon him. Most often, he appears as a human man, but he has also appeared in other forms, ranging from a cat to an alien. Morpheus is the hero of the Sandman series, but he's not a perfect character by any means. He has trouble understanding humor and sarcasm, and he doesn't easily forgive.
At the beginning of the Sandman series, Morpheus comes off as cold and often cruel. As the series progresses and Morpheus becomes more accustomed to the contemporary world, he evolves into a more sympathetic character.
Who are the other major characters in the Sandman world?
While the Sandman series has many integral players, the characters listed here are the ones you most need to remember, or become well acquainted with, before you jump into part two of the Sandman audio series.
The Endless
The Seven Endless see each other as brothers and sisters, so Dream has six siblings: Destiny, Death, Delirium, Desire, Despair, and Destruction.
Like Dream, each of the six other Endless can change their appearance to suit the expectations of others. Most often, however, the Seven Endless appear as pale humans with dark hair, with the exception of Destruction, who appears with red hair, and Delirium, who has wild, multicolored tresses. The Endless each have distinct personalities and abilities, and all of them play important roles in the Sandman series.
John Constantine
John Constantine is the anti-hero of the Sandman series. He is an occult detective and a professional sorcerer from Liverpool, though he currently lives in London. He's a descendant of Johanna Constantine, an 18th and 19th century aristocrat and adventurer who also crossed paths with Dream, at the time believing him to be the Devil.
Lucifer
Lucifer was once one of the most powerful angels in all of Heaven but after rebelling, he was banished to rule over Hell. And after being the ruler of Hell for billions of years, Lucifer is attempting to escape Yahweh's Great Plan.
The Corinthian
The Corinthian is a nightmare with mouths for eyes that Morpheus created. But after the Corinthian goes rogue, Morpheus destroys him and attempts to recreate him once again—with some adjustments.
Matthew Cable/Matthew the Raven
Matthew Cable dies while in The Dreaming, and Morpheus brings him back as a raven to serve as his companion and helper. As a raven, Matthew is rude and irreverent, but he also ends up being a loyal servant to Morpheus.
What is the Sandman about?
The Sandman follows the story of Dream, or Morpheus. At the beginning of the story, Morpheus has been trapped by an occult ritual and imprisoned for the past 70 years. When he finally escapes, Morpheus must retrieve the three "tools" that can restore his power and rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated during his long absence. To reach his goal, Morpheus must descend to Hell and confront Lucifer, hunt down the rogue nightmares that have escaped his world, and interact with many important figures from mythology, literature, and history.
What else is a part of the Sandman universe?
The Sandman as an original graphic novel series ended in 1996, but that was not the end of the Sandman Universe. There have been many spin-off comic book series and one-shots based in the world of the Sandman. DC introduced a Sandman Universe line of comics that started off with a one-shot called The Sandman Universe, written by Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, and Dan Watters. This was followed by several spin-off series including The Dreaming by Simon Spurrier, House of Whispers by Nalo Hopkinson, Lucifer by Dan Watters, The Books of Magic by Kat Howard, and the limited series The Dreaming: Waking Hours by G. Willow Wilson.
The Sandman series has been a part of many crossovers as well. Most recently, it was announced that the Sandman would soon be part of a crossover with another beloved dark fantasy comic: Locke & Key by Joe Hill. (For more information about this and others, check out our list of Sandman crossovers!)
What spinoffs and movies are next?
There have been efforts to adapt the Sandman for the big screen since 1991. But finally, 30 years later, Sandman fans are getting a Netflix series. After being delayed due to the pandemic, filming for the first season of The Sandman started in October 2020; author and executive producer Neil Gaiman confirmed in August 2021 that principal photography had wrapped. Currently in post-production, the series does not have an official release date yet.
The Sandman has gradually announced its cast. The first to be announced was Patton Oswalt, who will be playing Matthew the Raven. In January, Tom Sturridge was announced as taking on the role of Dream/Morpheus. Also announced were Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, and Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess. In May, the series announced a dozen additional cast members, including Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death and David Thewliss as John Dee.
Neil Gaiman is co-writing the Netflix series alongside David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg; all three are also executive producers on the project, with Heinberg serving as showrunner.
Additionally, fans of the Sandman graphic novels can look forward to the upcoming Locke & Key crossover, created by Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez, with the blessing of Neil Gaiman. The first book in the series will be out in October, and the second will be close behind in November.
Emily Martin is a Contributing Editor at Book Riot and podcasts/blogs with Book Squad Goals. She has an MFA in Creative Writing, a PhD in English, three cats, and way too many books.
